Though the World Perish
by darke wulf
Summary: AU. Naruto was saved from Konoha and raised by one who seeks to destroy it. Naruto is determined to do his part to help his most precious person. But in the end will he really be able to betray the bonds he forms while living undercover in Konoha?
1. Chapter 1

Though the World Perish

by: darke wulf

_Disclaimer: Unless you don't recognize them, I don't own them. No money or other profits are being made from this attempt at entertainment. _

_Please be advised that this story is an Alternate Universe fic. You will notice that I've taken some liberties with some dates/events in the original timeline. Also, while I will endeavor to keep most of the cast in character, a few of the characters, particularly Naruto and to a lesser extent Orochimaru, will be out of character based on the changes I've made from the original storyline. _

_If these sorts of things bother you, I suggest you stop reading now. You have been warned._

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_**Chapter One**_

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"If you betray me, can I take a better revenge than to love the person you hate?"

~ Pierre Corneille (1606-1684)

Titus and Berenice (Tite et Bérénice), Act 4, Scene 3.

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A cool breeze gently ruffled short, gravity-defying hair as a young boy stood stoically in the uppermost branches of one of the numerous majestic trees that surrounded the Village of Konohagakure. The child impatiently reached a hand up to yet again redirect the golden strands out of his face. He had not yet had time to acclimate himself to the new hairstyle and was missing the extra weight, and manageability, of his former waist-length locks.

The boy sighed as he closed sky-blue eyes and raised his face to the heavens, relishing the quiet of the forest as the subdued songs of the creatures of the night gently soothed his rattled nerves. Moonlight shone down upon him, silvering his normally sunshine-hued hair and whitening his tanned skin, granting him an otherworldly appearance.

He sighed again as the unpleasant thoughts of the next day's events invaded his mind, abruptly ending the brief moment of peace he had found. He was never going to be able to achieve any sense of calmness, not when the day he had been so dreading was nearly upon him.

Opening his eyes again, he gave the massive gates in the distance a hate-filled glare. He did not like his Father's plan. He had absolutely no desire to return to that place. The people there had almost destroyed him once; he did not relish giving them a second chance.

But the end result of his father's machinations, the complete annihilation of Konoha, was something he had dreamed of accomplishing for nearly as long as he could remember. As long as he kept that ultimate goal in mind, he would survive.

And, while resisting the desire to prematurely slaughter a villager or ten would certainly test the limits of his self-control as they never had been before, developing such control would no doubt be a benefit to him.

In the end though, it came down to one simple fact; his father was counting on him. For the man who had saved him so long ago and had given him a home…a family…he was willing to do anything, even face the demons of his past.

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_Six Years Prior:_

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The early morning sun was just peeking over the horizon, illuminating the dew that covered the grounds of the quiet graveyard like sparkling diamonds. The songs of birds began to fill the air as they greeted the morning.

Then, soundlessly, a female nin dropped from the tress above to land in a pathway near a large monument, easily three times the size of the others around it. Red eyes softened as the nin, dressed in a standard jounin's uniform, approached.

"Good morning, Sensei," Yuhi Kurenai bowed, greeting her long dead mentor. "I'm sorry I couldn't come visit you yesterday, but I was taking the jounin exam. I finally did it, Sensei! I finally passed!

"I'm sorry it took me so long, but things just haven't been the same without your guidance. It is so difficult to find anyone willing to train a genjutsu specialist such as myself."

Approaching the grave, Kurenai knelt to gently pluck the weeds that had started to grow since her last visit a little over a week ago before placing incense on the grave and setting it alight. "But it does not matter now, I am jounin, and that will not be taken from me. The Hokage himself congratulated me on my achievement. Hopefully I will soon prove myself worthy enough to take on a genin team; I wish to carry on your legacy. I swear in your memory Sensei that I will teach each to their individual strengths, whether that be in tai, gen, or ninjutsu.

"You were so understanding, Sensei. You never held it against those of us who did not excel in ninjutsu, even though with current prejudices of the Village as they are, we were never able to bring you the glory and respect that the ninjustu specialists could. Your guidance meant so much to all of us…"

Kurenai paused briefly, her eyes welling with tears, to gather her emotions.

"And because of how much you meant to us, we have decided that we can wait no longer to avenge you. We have been more than patient, and yet even now the Hokage protects the demon that killed you. I do not understand what he is thinking, why he will not allow the beast to be destroyed as he should, but we can wait no longer.

"We will not allow your spirit to wander in limbo for who knows how many years while that THING lives amongst us as if an innocent child. Mizuki is organizing a small group of your many students to finally avenge your death. Ebisu, Mizuki, Hatsuto and myself will soon be taking action with your old teammate Kanaye. I am sorry it has taken so long, but we did not wish to go against the Hokage. It's become obvious, however, that when it comes to the demon his judgment cannot be trusted."

Finally, heaving a weary sigh, the nin rose to her feet and moved closer to the grave marker, placing a hand gently on its top. "I promise, Sensei, it ends today. You will finally be avenged."

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Run...faster...he had to go faster...had to get away.

The four-year old child could hear the group of nin behind him steadily closing the distance that separated them, his short strides easily overtaken by those of the adults that followed. The only reason he had not yet been stopped was the same reason that he was able to hear the deliberately made noises of his hunters' passage; they were enjoying tormenting their prey far too much to end the chase so soon.

Despite his incredible healing abilities, there were numerous cuts on his face and arms from the branches and thorn-covered vines that grabbed at him as he fled past. Still he kept running, knowing from terrible experience that if his pursuers caught him he would suffer far worse.

With tears of desperate fright streaming from his eyes, he was unable to clearly see his path as he ran through the forest. A sudden jolt of pain lanced up his leg as his foot landed in a hidden animal burrow, and he dropped to the ground with a cry as a sickening crack filled the air.

The boy quickly pulled himself to his feet only to fall to the ground again, grabbing at his broken ankle as agony overwhelmed him when he placed weight on the injury. Desperate to escape, he started to drag himself across the forest floor, trying to at least reach a nearby clump of underbrush in the hopes of hiding from his pursuers.

Such a move was doomed to fail, however, against his well-trained adversaries.

Seeing that the boy would not be able to continue any farther, the small group of shinobi slowed to a stop, two dropping from the forest canopy as they descended upon the defenseless child.

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It was only his iron control that kept Orochimaru from grumbling in boredom as he crept through the lush forest surrounding Konoha. He wasn't particularly fond of scouting missions, but he didn't yet trust anyone in his fledgling Village enough to assign them his current task.

Not being one to jump unthinkingly into action, he was willing to take his time in developing a plan of brutal devastation that would ensure the complete annihilation of Konohagakure. In order for said plan to evolve, however, it was vital that he had accurate accounts of the status of the Village and its shinobi on a semi-regular basis. This meant that he was forced to make at least one trip every few months to scout out the village.

Ideally he would eventually recruit one or two shinobi from Konoha to serve as his spies and eliminate the need for these trips, but to date he had not found any candidates to his liking.

Orochimaru's musings were interrupted suddenly by a flaring of several chakra sources nearby. Curious as to what sort of training would be occurring so far from the village, he made his way silently though the tree tops in the general direction from which the noises seemed to be coming. He eventually was able to make out a group of five nin gathered around something on the ground. When he was finally in position to identify the object, what he saw caused him to lift an eyebrow in surprised confusion.

Two shinobi, a dark-haired male wearing sunglasses and a standard Konoha uniform and a woman that appeared to be dressed in nothing but bandages, were holding up a small blonde child by the arms, pulling them back and high above his head in a painful hold. A white-haired man, either a jounin or chunin judging from his attire, held a bloody knife in his hand, the four inch serrated blade obviously the cause of many of the heavily bleeding wounds scattered across the child's face and body including a particularly nasty looking slice that went from just above his right eyebrow all the way down to his chin.

The Sannin couldn't help but wonder what the young boy could have possibly done to incur such violent hatred. Even *he*, who was widely regarded as one of the most ruthless and cold-hearted people in existence, would not deliberately torture a veritable *infant*!

"But I never hurt nobody!" the child denied fervently.

"Liar!" the man with the knife growled. With a quick strike he viciously stabbed the knife into the side of the child, then twisted his wrist before ripping the knife from the wound, ensuring the vicious teeth on the weapon did as much damage as possible. Orochimaru found himself slightly impressed when the move drew little more than a small whimper; he had seen trained nins far older than the boy cry out in agony after such treatment.

"You damned demon, you attacked our village, killed our family and friends, and, worst of all, you took our beloved sensei from us, and now you *dare* to claim that you haven't hurt anyone?" the man continued, catching the Sannin's attention. So *this* was the brat that that thrice-damned Namikaze had sealed the Kyuubi into. But that still didn't explain why these nin would be attacking the child. Surely that washed-up has-been of a Hokage currently in charge had explained the situation; why did these people seem to think that the boy and the fox were one and the same?

"I don't know what Sandaime is thinking, trying to protect a demon like you. You should never have been allowed to live." Another man, glaring at the child, stepped from the surrounding group, his peppered hair and weathered face indicating his age, though he held himself with pride and obvious strength. A former shinobi; Orochimaru vaguely remembered him from before he had left the Village, though if his memory served him correctly he was only a mediocre ninja at best. The man's right hand was balled into a fist and, after speaking, he buried it in the child's stomach, causing air to rush from him in a great woosh. Only the unyielding grips on the youth's arms kept him upright. Several more punches to the child's face and body followed; and still the boy refused to cry out.

Finally, with the child limply hanging by his arms, the white-haired nin stepped up to the older man and placed a staying hand on his shoulder. "That's enough, Kanaye, we wouldn't want him to escape his punishment so easily."

"My apologies, Mizuki," Kanaye replied. "I lost control of my anger for a moment."

"Quite understandable," Mizuki replied, squeezing Kanaye's shoulder before dropping his hand. "I think all of us were angered to hear this murdering scum claiming to be innocent."

Listening from above, Orochimaru rolled his eyes and had to forcefully repress a sigh of exasperation. Really, Konohans were such fucking bleeding hearts. If you are going to torture someone, torture them! While they held hands and cried over their poor broken hearts, the child was dying before their eyes. This little counseling session was losing them time.

Speaking of the child...making a clinically examination of the sight before him, Orochimaru couldn't help but wonder just how he wasn't already dead, demon or no demon, given his age and the severity of his wounds.

Blood covered his face from several cuts, including the gash he had noted before that had almost cost him his eye. His nose was obviously broken and his lip had been split in one corner while the lower one looked to have been practically bitten through; no doubt by the child himself as he struggled to keep from screaming during the attack. The original color of his clothing was indistinguishable, as what little of it remained had been dyed with blood from the many severe wounds that scattered his body.

Then the man that had been helping hold the child up grabbed a handful of red-tinted blonde hair and yanked his head back to meet the glare of Mizuki. Eyes of the summer skies became visible to those of the darkest night and then Orochimaru knew, beyond all possible doubt, just who the child was.

How had he not recognized him before? That face, that hair, even that infernal indomitable spirit...and those damned eyes; he should have recognized the brat from the start. He was obviously the progeny of that idiot Minato. He had to be; he was practically a clone of the arrogant bastard!

A wave of anger and hatred nearly overwhelmed Orochimaru, and for a moment his eyesight went red as he remembered the humiliation of being passed over for the prestigious title of Hokage for that no account simpleton.

Just because the peon had a fancy bloodline limit and had made a name for himself during the war with the Iwagakure, conveniently only a few months before the Sandaime had decided to finally step down, he had been made leader of Konoha. Everyone conveniently forgot that it had been Orochimaru who had been practically groomed for the position, that it was he who had not just the physical abilities, but the intellectual ones demanded by the position as well.

It served Namikaze and that village right, being killed and nearly decimated by the Kyuubi. Was it really any wonder that it took their precious Yondaime nearly a week to invent an effective strategy for stopping the demon fox, considering that the man had the intelligence of a particularly dim five year old? If it had been *him* leading the village at the time...

And of course, who else would the bastard have sealed the Kyuubi into but his own son, to keep that power within his own clan; it all made perfect sense. Except, now Orochimaru found himself even more confused as to why the child was being attacked. They *must* be aware of who the child was, it was glaringly obvious, and Namikaze would certainly have left instructions as to how his child was to be raised.

Unless...but no, even Namikaze wouldn't have been that idiotically naive. Surely he would have known better than to assume that the villagers and shinobi would see the boy, not the demon, and would have made provisions for the child...

The Sannin was brought out of his musings when he noticed the object of his curiosity screwing up his face for a moment before spitting out what looked to be a tooth along with a large glob of blood and spit directly into the face of Mizuki, the nin's face having been scant inches from the child's. Obviously the idiot had said something that angered the boy. Orochimaru felt a smirk twist his lips at the boy's impudence. Though, if the furious glare on the nin's face was anything to go by, that little act of defiance was obviously going to cost him dearly.

"You little monster!" the man screamed as he attempted to remove the disgusting mixture of blood and saliva with his free hand, instead managing to smear the majority of it over his face. "I am going to make you RUE the day you were SPAWNED!"

A swift knee to the child's rib cage produced the disturbing crack of at least one rib breaking. Looking briefly up to the two nin holding the child by his arms, Mizuki ordered, "Ebisu, Kurenai, hold him tight."

He received a nod from the man, Ebisu. Kurenai, however, looked hesitant. "Mizuki," she began, conflicting emotions racing across her face, "surely…"

"Don't start, Kurenai," Mizuki broke in, anger twisting his face. "You ASKED to have a part in avenging our Sensei. You assured me that you would be able to take action against this monster that stole him from us."

"Take action, yes. I want it dead as much as you do, Mizuki. But this torture…it's just not…please, Mizuki, let's just kill it and get it over with."

"Get it over with? He has lived among us for years, happily rubbing our faces in his continued existence. He deserves to suffer for his sins! Now, HOLD. HIM."

Kurenai stared into Mizuki's eyes for a moment, but finally gave a reluctant nod of acknowledgement and tightened her grip on the child. Turning back to the boy, Mizuki gave a demented sneer. "Don't worry, brat. We're not done with you yet." Then, without warning, he wrapped both hands around the boy's throat, using it as a handhold as he shoved the child down and backwards.

This time the child could not prevent the scream of pain as first one shoulder, then the other was jerked from their sockets.

"Stand him up, facing that tree," Mizuki instructed, pointing to one of the larger trees in the vicinity, "and hold his arms just like that above his head." He then turned to the final nin of the group, a lithe man of average height who was dressed in slightly loose black pants with a tight black long sleeved shirt over which he wore a Konoha flak jacket. "Hatsuto, your swords."

The addressed nin reached behind him to the two beautifully crafted katana that were strapped to his back. The swords came unsheathed with a whisper of steel. Stepping towards Mizuki, Hatsuto turned the swords over to the other man.

Mizuki then turned back to the child. Tears were streaming from the boy's eyes as he feebly tried to escape the grasp of the nin that were holding him. Unintelligible sounds of distress filled the air as panicked eyes peering over a small shoulder remained glued to the katana that were steadily approaching.

Ebisu shifted his grip on the boy's left arm, one hand going to hold down the child's wrist, the other his elbow. Mizuki lifted one of the swords and quickly stabbed it through the child's arm, driving between the bones until it ripped through the other side and entered the tree. Even as the boy's scream of agony ripped through the air, the process was repeated on his right side, and the two nin who had been holding him down stepped away.

The group of nin, with the exception of Kurenai who had turned away from the scene, looked down at the miserable child with malicious joy as he hung, soaked in his own blood, from the swords that skewered his small arms.

"Please," the child cried, his voice almost incomprehensible through his tears, "please stop...please..."

"It's no use begging, brat," Mizuki sneered down at the pitiful form. "There is no one who would want to stop us. You are an evil monster, a blight on this world. You deserve nothing but pain."

Mizuki then pulled a short knife from a sheath as the small of his back and sliced the remnants of the jacket and t-shirt that had stubbornly remained clinging to the child. "Hatsuto, he's all yours."

At that Hatsuto stepped forward, uncoiling a whip that had been hanging at his side.

He started methodically at the child's shoulders and worked his way down to the small of his back, leaving harsh red welts in his wake. Not an inch of skin was left untouched as he continued his ministrations, and soon welts became bloody tears in skin as more and more blows rained down with no end in sight.

Finally the child could take no more, and he fled into unconsciousness, only the swords piercing in his arms keeping him upright.

Several more hits landed on the mauled back before the group realized that their victim had escaped them. Eventually, however, Hatsuto stopped his strikes and stepped back slightly, allowing Mizuki to approach the still body.

Grabbing the child's golden hair, Mizuki pulled his head back until the closed eyes were looking up into the sky, tears still running down the small face even in unconsciousness. "We have been terrorized for far too long by this hell spawn. Today is the day that we take our Village back and put an end his evil once and for all!"

With that Mizuki brought his knife up to the child's throat, ready to strike the final blow.

Then, in a heartbeat, everything changed.

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To say that the Kyuubi no Kitsune was angry would have been an understatement of massive proportions. These overgrown monkeys dared to think that they would be allowed to end the existence of the greatest of the biju? It was not to be borne. Even trapped in his weak shell of a prison, he would never allow such miserable, honorless cretins to defeat him.

And now, with his pitiful host so near death that he could finally worm his way around the seal and take control, it was time to show these insignificant worms just what it meant to call down the fury of the Kyuubi!

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Suddenly an overwhelming killing aura filled the forest, and Mizuki gasped in pain as he was violently propelled away from his victim by the force of it. Looking up, he saw the form of the child surrounded by a malevolent blood red chakra. In shocked awe he watched as the mauled back started healing before his eyes.

Another burst of chakra sent the two swords pinning the boy to the tree flying. Slowly the child turned, only to force gasps of fear from the nin watching as they took in his altered form. Narrowed red eyes with slit pupils stared into Mizuki's very soul, freezing him to his spot; harsh black whisker marks, long sharpened talons in place of fingernails, and an evil, fang filled smirk all indicated that this was no longer the same child that they had been tormenting.

A slight widening of the smirk was all the warning Mizuki had before the boy disappeared. Before he could even react, a burning pain erupted from his chest. Lowering his eyes, horror combined with pain to whiten his face as he saw a deceptively small, clawed hand thrust into his chest. It lingered only momentarily before it was pulled back, his still beating heart clutched tightly in its grasp.

His thoughts turning sluggish, the dying nin gazed into amused, satisfied eyes straight from the pits of hell. They were the last things he saw before falling lifelessly to the ground.

The Kyuubi paused over the corpse of his victim, smiling the sadistic, bloody smile of a predator who has his prey within his grasp. It had been so very _**long**_ since he had been free to hunt, to kill, to enjoy the taste of blood. He knew that his freedom would not last; already he could sense that cursed seal attempting to force him back behind its bars now that the brat's health was improving. In spite of this, his grin grew a little more, his eyes sweeping across the pitiful monkeys that were feebly trying to escape. No, he did not have long, but what time he had left he was going to _**enjoy**_.

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Orochimaru gazed pensively down at the child lying unconscious before him, the boy having fallen to the ground unconscious not long after rather enthusiastically dismembering the second tormenter he had caught; the rest having fled like the cowards they were. His mind was focused on deciding what to do with the boy now. One side of him angrily demanded his death. He housed the most powerful of demons, which apparently was able to take over his host's body, at least temporarily. He was dangerous, and potentially deadly. Worse, he was the son of one of the men Orochimaru despised the most, a man who had died before the Sannin could gain his revenge upon him.

And yet another side of him pointed out that though it did in fact seem that the Kyuubi could take over the child, based on the events he had witnessed it seemed that it was only possible in extreme situations and even then for a very limited period of time. The slaughter had taken less than ten minutes in all. Surely if the demon could have, he would have remained in control much longer.

As for being Minato's brat, well he could think of few better ways to get back at the dead man than to use his own son to destroy the village he had died to protect.

And besides all that, Orochimaru couldn't help but see a little bit of himself in the boy. Both had been left without families, both had been outcasts, hated for things beyond their control, and both were seen as monsters by the weak fools of Konoha.

Could he deny this boy the acceptance and support that he himself had so desperately craved as a child? Had his heart truly become so black?

Yes, he had turned his back on his village and his comrades when it became obvious that he would never, could never, fit into their shallow view of the world.

And yes, he had come to see his fellow human beings as little more than test subjects, but such had not always been the case. Once he had wanted nothing more than to be accepted, to have friends...family. He had thought he had found those very things until his supposed friends had betrayed him. Time and again he had been pushed down, belittled and ridiculed by those who were supposed to have cared for him, those for whom he had cared so very much.

In the end it became too much and he turned his back on Konoha and the ignorant hypocrites therein, but this child was innocent of those crimes. Indeed, the boy had apparently suffered as he himself had. If he abandoned the boy to his fate, knowing just how cruel and unforgiving the citizens of Konoha could be, would he be any different from those he hated? Wouldn't he be acting just as his former comrades had acted towards him when they abandoned him to suffer the hatred of the Village alone?

Could he not make the difference to this child that no one had been willing to make for him?

Plus in doing so, he would more than likely secure the absolute loyalty of what could potentially be his most powerful and loyal follower. Orochimaru knew that he himself at least would have promised anything; his life…his very soul, to anyone had they offered to save him from the lonely hell of his own childhood.

Looking at the child, Orochimaru was slightly surprised to find that he was being studied by two pain-filled blue orbs.

When the child saw that the Sannin had noticed he was awake he licked his lips, then coughed out in a low whisper, "You...you're not...one of the villagers. Are you?"

Orochimaru was slightly amused by the desperate hope that shown in the small face at that question. "No."

His amusement grew as he noted the relief-tinged annoyance that emerged after his less than forthcoming reply.

"Who?"

"My name is Orochimaru."

Sky-tinted eyes looked up at him thoughtfully before pain and despair welled up in them once more. The child sighed, "You're...gonna...hurt me, too...aren't you?"

In that instant, seeing the small boy so pitifully resigned to an existence of pain and hatred a long forgotten part of Orochimaru awoke and decided for him the question he had been pondering earlier.

Moving slowly, keeping eye contact with the boy, Orochimaru knelt and reached his right arm out, not missing the flinch the child gave just before his hand gently cradled the bloody cheek. Any hesitation he might have felt over his course of action was eliminated when those large eyes gazed up at him in absolute wonder at what was perhaps the first gentle touch the child remembered. "No child, I'm not. No one will hurt you anymore. I'll make sure of it."

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_Present Day:_

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Being taken in by Orochimaru had been the best thing to happen to the young Uzumaki. While the Sannin wasn't the most compassionate of people, he did provide food, shelter and new clothing for Naruto, which put him far ahead of anyone from Konoha.

It had also been Orochimaru who had personally overseen Naruto's training, starting not long after he was brought to Hidden Sound. It had been Orochimaru who had helped Naruto convince the Kyuubi no Kitsune to share his chakra with the boy, and to train him in order to have a suitable host for the "greatest of the youkai".

It was also Orochimaru who, after years of research and testing, had devised a means of permanently merging the demon's power with Naruto's own. Slowly over the years, more and more of the fox's power was absorbed by Naruto's system and converted into his own chakra. The energy that had not yet been absorbed was sealed beyond his reach, even in the most stressful of times.

This would eventually give Naruto complete control over the powers of the fox without needing to worry about losing his mind and body to the youkai. And, though Orochimaru had been unable to rid Naruto of the spirit of the demon fox entirely, Naruto found he didn't mind that anymore. After coming to terms, the relationship between he and the Kyuubi had improved greatly, and he had come to take an odd comfort in having the fox with him. After all, he was the one being who had been with and protected him even longer than Orochimaru.

And in the recesses of Naruto's mind there were several cherished memories; a frightened child being rocked back to sleep after waking from fierce, violent nightmares; brief, proud smiles as the same child mastered his first jutsus; the tortured deaths of any that had dared to threaten or hurt the child.

Not that Naruto was under any illusions. While he knew that his father had grown to care for him in his own way, there had been no attempt made to hide the fact that the only reason Naruto had been taken in was because Orochimaru had thought that he, and the demon within him, could be powerful weapons for Otogakure. Nor did Naruto doubt that should he not live up to his father's expectations, the best he could hope for would be banishment, with death being a far more likely fate.

Orochimaru did not take failure lightly; his aspirations were too high, his plans too intricate to allow tolerance for those who could not achieve the tasks he placed before them.

Naruto did not dwell on such thoughts, for he had no intention of ever letting his leader...his father...his savior down. No he, the mighty Sannin Orochimaru's greatest weapon, would not fail in this or any other task.

And soon the village of Konoha would be no more.

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_**End Chapter**_

_**Looking for a Beta!!**_

I'm looking for a Beta to help me with this story: particularly one good at cracking the whip to help me meet the deadlines I set for myself and lend opinions on the general storyline (ie if I'm starting to veer a bit too far into OOC land, etc). If anyone's interested, please let me know in a review.

Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: Still don't own them. Still not making any money. _

_As before, please be advised that this story is an Alternate Universe fic. There will be differences between this and the canon timeline and characters. _

_Finally, I have absolutely no idea when the Genin Exams occur and was unable to find this information. If anyone does know, please let me know and I will make the required edits. Thanks!_

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"Oftentimes, to win us to our harm,

The instruments of darkness tell us truths,

Win us with honest trifles, to betray's

In deepest consequence."

~ William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Banquo, in Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 3.

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Genma cursed as his bloodied hand slipped from the branch he had just grabbed. Only hard-won reflexes allowed him to grab onto another one and continue his harried flight towards Konoha.

He cursed again as he thought of how quickly everything had gone to shit. It hadn't been that difficult a mission initially, only B-ranked. Usually it would have gone to a high-level Chunin instead of a Jounin like himself, but a recent increase in missions had left a lack of available nins, and as this one had had a rather short time frame, it had been assigned to an available Jounin; him. Now he wished he had gone with his initial instincts and refused the mission. Granted, at the time his reluctance to accept the mission was due to his desire to see the kunoichi mud wrestling tournament that had been scheduled to start the next night at the Black Lotus, a local hot spot, rather than any feelings of foreboding about the mission itself, but at least it wouldn't have been him racing through the forest, bleeding from more places then he cared to think about.

Things had been going so well, too. He had made it up to Wind Country, obtained the ancient scroll as per the mission specs, and made his way back to Konoha with next to no trouble. It was as he reached the halfway point that things had rapidly gone to hell. He had been attacked by at least ten foreign nins, several of whom he recognized as B- and A-ranked missing nins from the Bingo Book, though instead of slashed headbands from their old villages they wore ones he had never seen before, with what looked like a musical note engraved upon them.

Wherever they were from, they were all well trained, and powerful. He had managed to take a couple out, but it had cost him at least two broken ribs if he was any judge and a slash across his stomach that had only just been too shallow to disembowel him completely. He also suspected that at least some of the shuriken imbedded in his back were poisoned, as his reactions were far too sluggish, even taking his injuries and blood loss into account.

His only hope at this point was to somehow outrun them and hope he ran across a group of Konoha nins as he got closer to the Village. Not a great plan, but he was all out of ideas.

"Fuck!" He cried as a sudden pain erupted in the back of his right thigh. Reaching back, he yanked out the kunai that had lodged there, the limp further slowing his pace. "This is SO not fucking good. Dammit!" He dropped quickly down to a lower branch and altered his path as one of his pursuers appeared in a swirl of mist in front of him.

He continued on, having to change directions several more times to avoid enemy nin. It was obvious they were herding him towards something, but hell if he'd been able to avoid their trap. It was all he could do to keep himself alive. He could only hope that whatever it was he was headed towards wasn't going to be more than he could handle.

He continued on for several more minutes before suddenly running into some sort of invisible barrier. Desperately he tried to escape but, like a fly trapped in a spider's web he found himself stuck tight. He could hear his pursuers approaching him, but with his hands held firmly apart by whatever it was that trapped the rest of him there was nothing he could do.

"About damn time," he heard grumbled from behind him. "I thought the bastard would never get here."

"Calm down, let's just get him to the boss." Then there was a blow to the back of his head and he knew no more.

------------

"What were you idiots thinking?" Naruto yelled, moving quickly with Kabuto to treat the badly injured nin. "You were only supposed to injure him, not fucking kill him!"

"Language, Naruto-sama," Kabuto smirked, his hands glowing green with healing chakra. "We have more important things to take care of than dealing with these simpletons. I'm sure Orochimaru-sama will be more than pleased to express our displeasure with his own when he learns of this."

While most of the Sound nin knew better, three of the newer recruits took umbrage to their dressing down by two such young nin. As a group they moved towards the two in what they thought was a threatening manner. The nin on the farthest right of the group, a well-muscled missing nin from Stone, spoke for them all. "Who do you two pansy-assed weaklings think you are? Think you're so high and mighty? You're nothing! I could squash both of you without breaking a sweat!"

"Kabuto," Naruto's eyes were shadowed by his bright bangs, his head tilted downward slightly. His hands never stopped moving over the body of the Konoha nin as he worked with Kabuto to heal enough for the shinobi to survive while still making the results look amateurish enough that it would be believable that a relatively untrained child of Naruto's age could have accomplished it.

"Yes, Naruto-sama, I can handle this for a moment." Kabuto replied to the unasked question, the knowing smirk on his face deepening.

"Good." In one movement Naruto pulled away from the patient and, in a flash of yellow light, left three corpses in his wake.

"Now then, would anyone else care to die?"

------------

Pain was the first thing Genma was aware of upon his awakening. An all-consuming pain that made his body feel as if it were on fire and muddied his thoughts. He blearily struggled to open his eyes, but found the task far more difficult than it should have been. His attempts to move were met with similar futility, and he could not help the groan of frustration that left his throat. Almost immediately, a cool hand was placed on his forehead, and soothing words floated just beyond his comprehension.

"Shh...it's alright. You're going to be ok. Shh. Here, try to drink this. Come on, you can do it."

His upper body was raised slightly; something was placed at his lips, and blessed cool refreshment made its way into his mouth. He immediately swallowed, and tried to follow the container as it was moved away from his mouth.

"Hush. A little at a time, we don't want you to choke. Here you go, try a little bit more."

The routine was repeated until finally his thirst was quenched, and he closed his mouth tight when next the container was raised to it. Though he'd done little enough during the proceedings, they'd still tired his weakened body, and he found himself unable to remain conscious as the mysterious, gentle hands lowered him softly back to the bed.

------------

Naruto took special care to wash himself thoroughly as he showered. Having to be so gentle and caring to someone from that damned village made his skin crawl. At least the target wound up being one of the few who had never actively took part in his beatings. Of course, he had never stepped in to help either but Naruto could at least pretend to care about this one. He knew his limits; if one of those who had helped make his time in that village hell had wound up here, they would have been dead and his Father would have been quite disappointed with him.

Thankfully the healing he and Kabuto had done would mean that the bastard would be able to make the trip to Konoha in just two days. Still much longer than he wanted to play nursemaid, but doable.

Naruto finished rinsing off and stepped out of the shower, grabbing the large towel he had left on the sink and drying off. After a quick, vigorous rub down of his hair, the only good thing about his shorter style was that it now dried much quicker, he wrapped the towel around his waist and tucked it into itself to secure it. He then gathered the dirty clothes he had left on the blue tiled floor and stepped out of the bathroom.

He was halfway to his closet when he realized that he was the focus of a bleary set of dark brown eyes. He stopped and turned towards the nin on his bed slowly. For a moment they each took the other in. Naruto could tell that the shinobi was only just managing to cling to consciousness. His eyes were obviously having a hard time focusing, and each time he blinked his eyes remained closed for a little longer.

It didn't look like he was going to pass out immediately, however, so Naruto decided it was time to continue his act.

"Greetings," he said softly, being careful to not appear threatening or make any sudden moves. "It is good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

The nin took his time answering, and was obviously searching his memory trying to recall what had happened. Finally, with obvious effort, he swallowed and replied in a voice rough with thirst, "Fine. Who are you?"

It was only by the narrowest of margins that Naruto was able to keep his anger and killing intent in check. How DARE this ungrateful bastard question him in such a manner! He and Kabuto had spent precious time and charka to heal the idiot, then Naruto had spent the last two days further nursing him back to health, and he dares question him as if he had personally attacked him! Sure, it was men under his Father's command who had hurt the nin, but it's not like he was aware of that…

In spite of his effort, some of his thoughts must have shown on his face as the nin grimaced slightly before apologizing, "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to come off like such a jerk. I just don't like being laid up like this. From what little I can remember of the last few days, I owe you my life." He paused here to bow his head as best as his supine position would allow, "Thank you."

Naruto studies the other for a moment before nodding his head in acknowledgement. "Don't worry about it. And you're welcome…"

"Genma," the shinobi filled in for him.

"Genma," Naruto finished, once more nodding at the man. "As I said, it is good to see you awake. You were quite injured when I found you. I did my best, but I'm afraid that I wasn't able to completely heal your wounds."

"How long was I out?"

"I don't know how long you were in the forest, but I don't think it was too long. You had several heavily bleeding wounds. If they had been untreated too long you would have been dead by the time I found you." Naruto replied, noticing the way the other's hand moved over his stomach, where the worst of the injuries had been. "It has been two days since I brought you here. Today is the 5th of May if that helps."

"Dammit!" Genma cursed, a grimace of disgust on his face, "I'm overdue by two days already!"

"You are expected back at Konoha then?" Naruto asked, feigning curiosity.

"Yeah, that damn scroll was supposed to be delivered by…fuck! The scroll!" The other's agitation was increasing greatly, Naruto noted clinically. If he kept this up he might reopen some of his wounds, and then who knew how long he would be stuck here. That was unacceptable.

"Hey, calm down. What's this about a scroll?"

"Nothing, sorry, I shouldn't have let that much slip. Dammit I can't think! I don't suppose you found a scroll or anything on me?" Genma asked, moving as if he planned on getting up to go look for the scroll himself.

Naruto took the chance, and slowly approached the other, gently pushing him back down onto the bed. "Easy, you're not ready to get out of bed yet. Just take it easy or you'll wind up reinjuring yourself. And no, I'm afraid I didn't find a scroll or anything on or near you when I found you. Not that I really looked around all that much. I can go back and look myself if you'd like."

Genma started at his touch, fighting against being laid back down until it became obvious that he was too weak to even remain upright. At Naruto's offer to search for the scroll he froze, staring searchingly at the blonde. Naruto could tell that the pain medication he had given the other was still affecting him from his erratic behavior and still slightly unfocused eyes. He wondered if he should give him another dose, or if it would be better to let the medication work its way out of his system and hopefully speed up his return to being functional. He would be willing to bet that most of Genma's troubles functioning came from the medication rather than his wounds; it was particularly potent.

Whatever he was searching for in Naruto's face, Genma must have found it, or else he was desperate to get the scroll, Naruto assumed it was the latter, as he nodded his head. "Yeah, if you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate it."

"I wouldn't have offered if I minded," Naruto replied. "I'll get you a drink of water and then head out."

So saying, Naruto left the bedroom and got a cup of water from the cabin's small kitchen before returning to his charge. "Here you go. Can you manage to drink it on your own?"

"Yeah," Genma insisted forcefully, already reaching for the cup. "Thanks." Then he took a large gulp of water.

"Hey, careful!" Naruto reprimanded in spite of himself. "Take it slow or you'll choke!"

Genma sighed, closing his eyes in pleasure as he swallowed the liquid ambrosia before looking back up at Naruto. "Thanks, kid. I'll keep that in mind."

Naruto pouted as he moved towards the door. "I'm not a kid," he mumbled.

"I'll bear that in mind," Genma chuckled. "Hey, I still don't know your name!" he called out before the blonde could escape.

Naruto paused and turned back to the other, allowing his reluctance to answer show on his face as part of his act. Finally he turned around and exited, the soft reply of, "Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto," leaving a shocked silence behind him.

------------

Naruto sighed as he returned to the cabin that had been his home for the last month. He hadn't actually searched at all for the missing scroll. His Father had had his men take it with them to give a reason for the attack. He had instead taken the opportunity to get away from the other man and clear his head. He couldn't believe he had let his guard down like that in front of one of the shinobi from the damned Village! He had practically been BANTERING with the bastard for crying out loud!

"Gahr!" He yelled, striking out at a nearby tree. This did nothing to help resolve the conflict in his mind, however.

"It's just part of the act," he assured himself. "It's not like I could treat the jerk like he deserves and still gain his trust. I'm just getting too caught up in my role. Now that I've noticed I'll be able to keep it from happening again.

"Just remember, there's no one from that Village worth saving. They are ALL guilty. Even if they didn't attack me themselves, none of them could bother to lift a finger to help. I'm NOT going to get attached to any of them. They don't deserve my kindness. I'll do what I need to achieve Father's plans, but I will NOT forget who they truly are…"

Naruto took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he reassured himself. He sighed once again; it was no good. He just couldn't find his center. He'd have to meditate and try to bring his emotions back under control.

One of the first things Orochimaru had started him on was control of his emotions. Based on what the Sannin had observed on the day he met Naruto, he believed that the more in control Naruto was the more control he would have over the fox and the less likely it would be that the Kyuubi would be able to take over. One of the first exercises Orochimaru had taught him was a slow, and painfully boring by Naruto's standards, introduction to meditation.

Naruto wasn't sure how much any of it actually helped in regards to control over Kyuubi's power but he was very aware of his own short temper. If nothing else, the exercises helped him feel more in control of himself. Now that he had merged with Kyuubi and was slowly integrating the fox's chakra and instincts with his own, a process that would take several years thanks to the regulation of Yondaime's seal, it was even more important for him to remain as calm as possible.

And so Naruto sat down at the base of a large tree and assumed the lotus position, regulating his breathing while he cleared his mind. A half hour later he was enmeshed within his own conscience, to all appearances completely oblivious to the outside world though, if any with hostile intentions approached, his demon-gained senses would quickly bring him out of his meditations.

Several hours later blonde lashes slowly blinked open briefly before closing again, only to repeat the process several more times before Naruto shook his head as his mind picked up speed. Naruto stretched his arms high above his head and cracked his neck, then glanced around to survey his surroundings. He didn't notice anything amiss and so stood, marveling as he did so how much calmer he felt. It really was amazing what a bit of meditation could do for a person.

Of course, now it was well past dark, and he would need to come up with some sort of story to tell the shinobi that was awaiting his return. Ah well, he could always claim to have been hunting for dinner as well as the scroll. He was genuinely running low on supplies in his temporary home. Creating several shadow clones, he sent them off to check the few dozen snares he'd set previously in the week once it became obvious that the Konoha nin would need longer to recuperate than originally planned. The small game he managed to catch in the snares had definitely helped to stretch his supplies.

As he approached his small cabin two of his clones met up with him, one carrying a small rabbit, the other a tree squirrel. Taking the animals from them he continued into the clearing surrounding the cabin and knocked on the door. "Genma, it's Naruto," he called out, not wanting to startle the shinobi, before entering the building.

As he didn't get an answer, he dropped the game off on the small table in the corner near what served as his kitchen before continuing on towards the bedroom. "Genma," he repeated softly, opening the door slightly and peering in to find his charge fast asleep.

"Figures," he grumbled to himself. "Ah well, might as well start on dinner."

------------

"So you didn't see a scroll anywhere?" Genma inquired the next morning as he ate his breakfast from the makeshift tray, a mostly flat piece of wood, that Naruto had brought into the bedroom and set on his lap.

"No, I'm sorry. I searched the area as well as I could, but I didn't find any scrolls," Naruto replied, trying to sound genuinely regretful.

"Shit. Ah well, thanks for looking, kid." Genma finished the last of the roasted rabbit on his plate and handed the tray to Naruto, who set it on the floor next to the bed.

"No problem. Now, let's check those bandages." Naruto was frankly thrilled with how much the other was improving. His wounds were healing nicely, with no sign of infection…it was all Naruto could do to keep from cheering out loud.

Finally! After almost two WEEKS of playing freaking nursemaid, it looked like Genma was FINALLY well enough to journey back to Konoha.

Naruto had wondered at times if Kabuto and he had missed some life-threatening injury when they were healing the buffoon.

Of course, the nin still wasn't at one hundred percent, but it would have defeated the purpose if he had been. Now Naruto had the perfect excuse to accompany Genma on the three-day trip back to Konoha where phase two of his Father's plan would begin.

Naruto was relieved. Not only did he not really have the patience required to make a good nursemaid, but he had also been having more and more trouble keeping his mind on his mission while spending time with the perverted but generally cheerful shinobi. In spite of his resolve, he found himself becoming fond of the nin, and this worried him. He could not falter; it would spell disaster for his Father's plans. And yet he found he could not help but respond to the good-natured banter and conversation Genma had drawn him into while they shared quarters.

Naruto was more than a little concerned. He knew he didn't care about Genma enough at the moment to hesitate should he be ordered to torture, kill or betray him but he had only known the other for two weeks; and for nearly half of that Genma had been unconscious. What would happen when, should things work out as Orochimaru anticipated, he was assigned a Genin team? When he was forced to spend so much more time with people, when he risked created real bonds.

His Father had warned him of this. Naruto had always considered his warm heart and caring nature a mixed blessing. On the one hand, he genuinely enjoyed meeting people and making friends. Helping others came as naturally to him as breathing and his Father, realizing early on just how loyal those whose lives Naruto touched were, did not discourage him. He did, however, warn him to be careful how much of himself he allowed into his bonds.

First and foremost Naruto was a shinobi. While generally fighting with and for his precious people made him stronger, his caring nature had been used against him in the past. He could not allow the same to happen here. There was too much riding on him for him to fail. He was going to HAVE to be more careful.

Hopefully he would get assigned a team of complete and utter bastards.

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_**End Chapter**_

Like it, love it, hate it? Please let me know! Constructive criticism is always welcomed.

I had hoped to get a little farther along in this chapter, but the next part was taking longer than I wanted to wait…

Also, I'm still hoping to find a Beta. I've not had much success trolling the lists of Betas. If you're interested, please let me know. FYI, there might be some slash in future chapters; I haven't decided yet for certain.

Thanks!

~dw


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: Still don't own them. Still not making any money. _

_As before, please be advised that this story is an Alternate Universe fic. There will be differences between this and the canon timeline and characters. _

_Finally, I have absolutely no idea when the Genin Exams occur and was unable to find this information. If anyone does know, please let me know and I will make the required edits. Thanks!_

_I warn you that many of the characters in the early chapters will come off in a fairly negative light. This is a combination of two things. First, most of the chapter will be in Naruto's point of view and he still has a very negative view of everyone who lives in Konoha. The second factor is that, quite frankly, I find that most of the people Naruto interacts with in the early chapters of the canon act like idiots; Sandaime fails to protect him from the Villagers, Kakashi ignores him for Sasuke, Sasuke has a god-complex, Sakura is a bitch, etc. _

_These characters will take time to grow out of their pigheadedness, if they do at all (some will, some won't)._

_I'm generally not into character 'bashing' however, and will strive to ensure that no character comes across as so over blown as to be unbelievable. If you feel I am not achieving this goal, please let me know, as it is something I'm really want to achieve._

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"When Fortune flatters, she does it to betray."

~ Publius Syrus (42 B.C.)

Maxim 277.

------------

The Sandaime Hokage was taking a break from the stacks of paperwork on the desk before him as he casually observed the Village of Konoha in his viewing globe. He had found it one of the most prized tools of his station through his many years as Hokage, both as a way to head off trouble before it started and to appear 'all knowing' before his shinobi. While he was generally well loved, he was not above using fear to hold his forces to him.

He had long ago mastered the art of quickly sweeping through the Village, his senses easily allowing him to note anything that appeared out of the ordinary and pause until he determined what the situation was and how best to respond.

It was such an instance that drew his gaze to the main gates of Konoha. It appeared one of his shinobi, who was several days late in reporting, had finally arrived, though he looked somewhat worse for wear. It was not Genma that drew his attention, however, but the boy accompanying him.

With a simple thought the globe zoomed in on the child, and Sandaime felt his breath catch in his throat. After all this time, he had returned. After hearing what had transpired all those years ago, and knowing how the Village had treated the child before that, he had resigned himself to never seeing the boy again. It had been a bitter pill to swallow, losing the son of one of the Village's most powerful and feared shinobi.

But now for some reason the boy had come back. Sarutobi sat for a moment drinking in the sight of the child; the blonde hair and deep blue eyes left no doubt as to the child's paternity. The whiskers on his cheeks served as a final confirmation as to his identity.

Reaching out, the Hokage gently cupped his hand around the viewing globe on which the boy's face was displayed as if touching the child himself.

"Welcome home, Naruto."

------------

As Naruto and Genma approached the gates to Konoha the jounin was greeted by the guards. "Genma! Welcome back. Sandaime was getting concerned when you were so late in returning and didn't send any word."

Genma shrugged nonchalantly as he replied, "Eh, ran into some unexpected trouble. Naruto here helped me out, but we were out in the boonies and didn't have any way to send a message."

The two guards turned their attention to the short blonde. The younger had not shown any recognition to him or his name. The older, however, had visibly blanched, eyes widening, before turning a hostile glare on the boy. Naruto did not comment, instead merely nodding in greeting; he did not trust himself to speak calmly in the face of the memories and emotions that were assaulting him.

Genma, anxious relief at being home blinding him to the guard's reaction, then turned to his companion with a smile on his face. "Well, thanks again for all your help. I've got to get over to Hokage Tower to report in now, though. Hopefully I'll see you around."

Naruto bowed slightly to the man, forcing his own smile on his face. "It was a pleasure, Genma. I'm glad that I was able to help. I wish you good fortune in your future. I should start heading back to my home, however."

"Not so fast," the elder guard snarled, grabbing onto Naruto's upper arm. "The Hokage's going to want to deal with you, demon."

"Atsushi, what the hell are you doing?" Genma demanded, obviously confused by the unprovoked anger.

"Don't tell me you don't recognize this little bastard," the other nin snarled. "It's that damned Kyuubi brat!"

Now all three Konoha shinobi were staring at Naruto with various levels of shock, fear or hatred. It was only through the greatest exertion of will that Naruto didn't rip the arm off the presumptuous nin who had grabbed him and tell all three exactly what he thought of them and their Village. Forcing himself to appear calm, reminding himself that his Father was counting on him, Naruto replied, "I am no more the Kyuubi than your flask is the water it contains. I am merely the unfortunate who was sacrificed to jail the demon. And I believe you," he continued, turning to the nin that still held tightly to his arm, "have just revealed an S-class secret to the entire Village, unless things have changed since I lived here."

"No, things have not changed so much, Naruto," an elderly voice interrupted the scene. The four involved parties, as well as the passersby who had stopped to witness the altercation at the gate, all turned to see the Hokage standing nearby. He was dressed in his robes of office and was nonchalantly smoking his pipe as he observed the scene with obvious irritation.

"To speak of such matters is still an S-ranked offense. Take him to Ibiki." The Hokage didn't so much as turn his head, but two Anbu suddenly appeared to each side of Atsushi, grabbing him from Naruto and disappearing again, taking him with them.

"H-Hokage-sama…" the other guard stuttered, completely confused as to what was going on.

"At ease, Jirou," Sandaime said as he stepped closer to the shinobi and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I'll take over from here. Return to your post; a replacement for Atsushi will be sent shortly."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Jirou saluted and jumped back up to the watchtower on the gates, glad to get away from and eager to forget the whole affair.

"Genma, while I am glad to see you back safely, I will have to ask that you come back to the Tower later to report on your mission. I need to speak to Naruto here."

"Of course, Hokage-sama," Genma replied, bowing to the Village leader. "I would like to say, however, that I would not have returned had it not been for Naruto's efforts. He found me gravely wounded and spent significant time and effort healing me and escorting me back to the Village."

"I appreciate your input," Sandaime replied, smiling slightly. "Rest at ease, however. I merely wish to talk to Naruto; I have no plans to discipline him."

"As you say," Genma bowed again before turning to Naruto. "Naruto, thank you again for your help. If you ever are in need of help, please feel free to call on me."

"Thank you, Genma," Naruto replied, smiling up at the other man. "I am glad I was able to help. It was a pleasure to meet you." Naruto found his smile turning more genuine as he spoke to the shinobi. In truth, he had come to enjoy the company of the other, even knowing he was from Konoha. And while he had obviously been surprised by the revelation of Naruto being the vessel of the nine-tails, it didn't appear to affect his opinion of Naruto. He couldn't say he would actually miss Genma, but it had been more pleasant to deal with him than he had thought it would be.

With one final grin, Genma walked off further into the Village, the crowd that had gathered parting to let him pass. Sandaime turned a fond look to Naruto, "Shall we adjourn to my office? I have several questions I would like to ask."

As he turned to the Village leader the smile left Naruto's face and a blank mask took its place. "Lead the way."

------------

A tense silence enveloped the two as they left the crowd at the gates and made their way to the Hokage's office. As they walked the Sandaime glanced multiple times at Naruto out of the side of his eyes, trying to decide how to start the conversation that was on the horizon. Naruto, however, kept his eyes straight ahead as they walked, absently taking in the changes that had occurred in the village while he had been gone.

He had to admit, Konoha had done well for itself. While Orochimaru had grand plans for Oto, it was little more than a bunch of mud huts grouped together when compared to Konoha. In spite of it grand appearance, however, there was a taint to Konoha that permeated the atmosphere. Looking around, he could see that most of the civilians at least seemed only falsely interested in their neighbors. There was an unfriendly competitiveness that he could see on the faces of the Villagers as they interacted, a need to prove themselves to be better than those around them. It left him disgusted. The people here were even more two-faced than he remembered.

His Father was right, there was no redeeming value here. The Village had to be destroyed before this taint spread to other villages. After all, Konoha was held as a shining example of what the hidden villages should strive to equal. Naruto couldn't help but snort at the thought.

"Something amusing, child?" Sandaime asked, turning his head to look at his companion.

"It's nothing, Old Man," Naruto was beyond irritated with himself; he had been trained better than this! "It's just hard to believe how much some things have changed around here while others apparently remain the same."

Not knowing how to reply to that comment, Sarutobi remained silent. Less than a minute later they reached the Hokage Tower and ascended to the Sandaime's office.

"I am not to be disturbed for anything less than a matter of the Village's security," Sandaime instructed the secretary seated outside his door as he ushered Naruto in and closed the door.

The Hokage continued farther into the room, circling his desk and collapsing into the chair behind it. He gestured to the seat opposite, "Please, Naruto, sit."

Not seeing much choice, Naruto settled himself in the chair and looked up at the Hokage, silently holding the elder's gaze without trouble. After years spent with Orochimaru's, who when upset could look positively demonic, a better effort would be required to unsettle him.

Finally Sarutobi chose to break the quite. "Naruto, it's good to see you again, and doing so well."

"Fuck you old man. I have nothing to say to you." Naruto snarled, his face transforming into a mask of pure hatred. "Me being here and 'doing so well' as you say is in fact surprising, given how hard this Village worked to keep that from happening."

"Naruto, please, you must understand..." Old eyes, filled with regret, stared imploringly at Naruto, but it was years too late for the deserved apologies.

"Nothing! There is nothing that I could possibly 'understand' that would make you any less responsible for the torment I endured while you turned a blind eye."

"Naruto, I simply did not have the power…" Sandaime pleaded, also trying to convince himself of his innocence, as he had for years now when the guilt over the fate of the young man before him overwhelmed him.

"You are the Hokage, damn it!" Naruto shouted, his face contorting with remembered pain and hatred. He rose from his chair so quickly it tipped over, and he leaned closer to the Hokage, his hands resting on the desk separating them. "You have as much power as you are willing to claim! You simply didn't care enough to fight to claim such power on my behalf. After all, what does it matter if the Kyuubi-brat dies? The village would be better off, right?"

Sarutobi's jaw went slack with shock when he heard what Naruto had said. "So, you are aware of the Kyuubi, then."

"That's all you have to say?" Naruto demanded incredulously. "Yes, I know about the demon the Yondaime saw fit to curse me with. He cared for me, looked after me, and trained me. He was the only one who gave a fuck about me when I was growing up in this hellhole."

Desperation and the ever-present guilt began to claw at the Hokage. "It wasn't like that Naruto. If you would just listen!"

"You have nothing to say that I want to hear old man." Naruto backed away slightly, his right hand swinging across his chest in a negating motion. "I lived under your 'care' for four years and during that time I was beaten, starved, forced to live on the streets, and emotionally abused. I nearly died more times than I can count. If it hadn't been for the Kyuubi I wouldn't have made it to my sixth birthday."

That brought Sandaime up short as he was reminded of the reason he had brought Naruto to his office. Forcing himself to calm his emotions, he turned with a blank face to Naruto, who was now looking at him with great suspicion. "Kurenai told us what happened the day you left. Ebisu as well, once Ibiki was done with him"

"They were some of that damned group that got away, I assume," Naruto commented, not looking in the least bit abashed. "Hmm…did either mention what *started* the whole incident, or did they just take the opportunity to villanize me again."

Sandaime sighed, looking down at his desk. His spirit hurt seeing what the ignorance and unreasoning hatred of his Village had done to the child in front of him. "Yes, they were part of the group that attacked you. In fact, they were the ONLY two survivors. And no, Kurenai told the truth of the matter immediately, and Ebisu corroborated her story after enough persuasion. She admitted that her group had set out to avenge their Sensei, who had been killed when the Kyuubi attacked the Village. She detailed the torture they put you through, and then told us about you going berserker and ripping apart three Konoha shinobi."

"That's all you care about, isn't it?" Naruto demanded. "The deaths of your precious shinobi; forget that they were worthless bastards who got their kicks from torturing defenseless kids! Well guess what, asshole, I was dieing, too!"

He was so tired of this already. He just wanted to go back home and hide in his Father's arms like he used to when the nightmares haunted his dreams and feel safe and wanted and loved. He couldn't do this; he just couldn't! How was he supposed to survive here, where he was seen as nothing more than a menace or, at best, a tool to be taken out only when needed then forgotten about?

Naruto's voice lost its strength, his exhaustion clearly showing through. His vision became blurred as tears gathered in his eyes; tears that he stubbornly would never allow to be shed in front of this man, or any other member of Konoha.

Unknown to Naruto, the Hokage noticed both the despondency of his voice and the unshed tears in his eyes, digging the kunai of guilt deeper into Sarutobi's heart. Where was the stubborn boy with the indomitable spirit he had known all those years ago? Had he truly allowed the child to be broken so badly, merely because he felt he was too old, too tired to fight for him? Perhaps Danzou had been correct, maybe the child should have been placed under his care. Maybe things would have turned out differently then. As it was, he would need to act carefully if he was going to salvage this situation.

"If it weren't for the enhanced healing abilities I get from Kyuubi I would have died, and all you care about are your precious shinobi," Naruto closed his eyes, his expression pained as he relived that terrible day once more, "Forget that they were torturing me. Forget that the bastard Mizuki was about to slit my throat. Forget that I was SO CLOSE to death that the fucking demon my damned bastard of a sperm donor cursed me with was able to circumvent the seal temporarily. That doesn't matter. I should have just grinned, thanked them, and taken it just like I had to take every other torment and insult the idiots of this village threw my way. And then you wonder why I decided to leave? There is nothing for me here. There never was and there never will be."

Sarutobi could take it no longer. He rose from his seat and made his way around the desk, moving to pull the boy into his arms, "Naruto," he mumbled.

But Naruto moved violently away from him, heading closer to the door and escape. "Don't come near me, old man. And don't touch me. I don't trust anyone in this Village to touch me; they take too much enjoyment from sticking daggers into my back."

The Sandaime sighed and leaned back against his desk, his arms braced on either side of himself. His sad eyes met those of unfathomable blue, eyes that used to show only joy and a love of life and which now showed only the deepest pain. "Naruto, please, listen to me."

Naruto sadly shook his head, folding his arms across his chest as if to protect himself. "Why should I? You never listened to me. I told you how I was treated. You saw the evidence with your own eyes. And yet you ignored it; you left me, abandoned me to the tender mercies of this damned Village."

The Hokage pause, collecting his thoughts as he removed the pipe from his mouth and dumped it out into the ashtray on his desk. Slowly he replied. Choosing his words carefully, feeling his way along, "I will admit, I did not want to listen to you. I did not want to believe, in spite of the evidence, the people of this Village that I love, that the people that your Father gave his life to save, could be so cruel and unreasonably violent. I did not want to believe that they would treat an innocent as viciously as you were treated.

"But Naruto, I swear to you, I have changed. I have learned that, though I may love them, the citizens of Konoha can be cruel and unjust and evil. Please, Naruto, allow me to prove to you that you **can** live here in peace, and that I will protect you as I should have done all those years ago.

"You belong **here,** in Konoha. There is so **much** you could achieve, such heights you could reach with only the right support. Please, Naruto, let me give you that support. Let me show you what it means to truly belong to the family that is Konohagakure."

Naruto could only stare in disbelief at the Sandaime. He hoped that his silence was taken as him thinking over the offer, but he honestly could not have made an intelligible sound if he had wanted to at that moment. Did the old man truly think he was that stupid? It was so terribly obvious that really the only thing the Hokage was thinking of was the benefit that having the Kyuubi-vessel once more in its grasp would bring to Konoha.

Sure, Naruto could tell that the Sandaime did feel badly for how he had been treated, but he would have to be completely senile to think that Naruto would ever truly be accepted or happy living here. No, he had said it himself, the Hokage was only concerned with what Naruto could achieve; what he could achieve for Konoha. That was **why** he was the Hokage. Because no matter what happened, he would always consider the Village first, above all other concerns.

Naruto was once again stunned, though not surprised, by the hypocrisy of Konoha. Still, he really shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Having the Sandaime so anxious to bring him back into the fold would only work to his advantage.

So, forcing him to keep his visage as pathetic and despondent as he could, he let out a huge sigh and closed his eyes briefly before slowly opening them and, with a large show of reluctance, once again met the eyes of the Hokage.

"What is it you are asking of me?" he inquired, fairly certain that he already knew the answer.

"Naruto, I want you to join the Ninja Academy to officially become a shinobi of Konoha."

Naruto closed his eyes again and leaned back against the door behind him. He allowed the silence to stretch until Sarutobi pleadingly broke it.

"Please, Naruto. Your Father would have wanted you to serve."

That Naruto could not allow to pass. His eyes violently flew open and he glared at the man before him. "That damned bastard was no Father of mine. No true Father would have cursed his son with the misery of being a demon contained. No true Father would have abandoned his child without any sort of thought or plan in place to ensure his future. The Yondaime may have donated the sperm that helped in my creation, but he is not my Father."

"Naruto…" the Hokage gazed back at the boy, stunned by this hatred and unsure how to deflect of defuse it.

Naruto huffed in irritation and curled his lip in disgust. He wanted nothing more than to tell this asshole exactly what he thought of both him and his precious Village. Unfortunately, that would defeat the entire purpose of him coming here. No matter how much he hated it, he knew what he had to do.

"Six months," he grumbled, not bothering to hide his irritation.

"What…" confusion clouded Sarutobi's face as the reply confounded him.

"I will stay here, and serve this Village, for six months," he clarified. "If, after that time, I feel that things truly have changed, if I feel that I could truly belong here, I will stay. If not, I expect you to allow me to leave without trouble and not bother me again."

The Hokage did not want to accept the offer, the boy belonged to Konoha, but he was confident that in six months he could convince Naruto to stay. He could not be so far gone that Sarutobi would be unable to reach him, not this boy whose only dream had been to one day become Hokage himself.

Sandaime nodded, agreeing to the offer. "Very well, Naruto. Six months."

With a single hand sign, an Anbu appeared in the office and bowed to the Hokage. "Karasu, please escort Naruto to the Academy. He will be joining Umino-san's class. Explain to him that Naruto recently returned to the Village and will hopefully be taking the genin exam with the rest of his class at the end of the month. Ask him to inform me if, after observing Naruto's skill level, he has concerns with this."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," the Anbu replied, bowing again.

"Naruto," the old man turned back to the blonde who had been observing the proceedings with an inscrutable face. "Please return to my office this evening after your classes are done. We will finalize the details of our arrangement, and I will escort you to your new home."

Naruto looked at the Sandaime for a long moment before nodding. "Very well. I will at some point in the near future need to return to my cabin and gather my belonging."

Sarutobi himself nodded at that, "I know. We will discuss everything this evening. Thank you, Naruto, for this chance. You will not regret it."

Naruto snorted silently to himself. _I already do, Old Man._ "Hokage-sama," he said instead, bowing his head slightly before turning and following the Anbu out of the office.

Sarutobi sighed tiredly after Naruto left, disappointed at the hatred that the young shinobi held for the Village. He hoped that with time Naruto would come to see that he shouldn't blame the Villagers for their blindness. No, Naruto did not deserve their hatred, but they had not deserved to have their loved ones killed. It was only natural for them to seek someone to blame.

He had honestly tried, though perhaps not as adamantly as he could have, to protect the blonde when he had been a child but in truth he hadn't had the heart to punish his tormentor too severely when they had simply been grieving for their lost loved ones. He was sure that in time, Naruto would understand. He was his Father's son after all, in spite of what he might claim.

The elderly Hokage stood up and moved towards one of the windows of his office that looked out over the Hokage Mountain, his sight focused on a face eerily similar to the one that had just left his office. "Thank you for bringing him back to us, old friend," he spoke quietly to the spirit he was sure was watching over the Village even now. "I swear to you to do better by your legacy this time, my friend. I will not lose such a valuable resource again."

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_**End Chapter**_

Please let me know your thoughts!

I must admit, I am slightly concerned by the lack of reviews for this story. I don't want to come across as begging for review, but if there are things that put you off, or areas you think I should improve to make it more enjoyable, please let me know.

Finally, I have made some slight edits to the previous chapters; mostly just fixing some typos and cleaning things up.

Thanks!

~dw


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: Still don't own them. Still not making any money. _

_As always, please be advised that this story is an Alternate Universe fic. There will be differences between this and the canon timeline and characters. _

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_**Author's Notes:**_

_1. Yes, I know it's much shorter than normal, but this was a good stopping point. Also, I am still debating whether to have a scene with Iruka and Naruto now, or to skip to graduation and the team assignments…_

_2. Please let me know what you think. This chapter was incredibly difficult for me to write. I know what I want my story to portray, but I'm having a heck of a time getting it out on 'paper.' I'd love to hear how successful (or not) I am._

_The basic premise of my Universe is that Orochimaru is not actually irredeemably evil. He was betrayed (in his mind at least) by everyone he cared about. He thus hardened his heart and now is determined to get revenge by destroying Konoha. Meeting and taking Naruto in was a major turning point, however. _

_Given how loving Naruto grew up without __**any**__ positive influences in his life (I refuse to count a barely there Sandaime), I honestly can't see him turning completely evil with a family (of sorts), even if his most precious person is trying to convince himself (Orochimaru trying to convince himself) that he is irredeemably evil._

_And we all have seen just how much Naruto can change a person without even trying. Thus, as he grows up under Orochimaru's care he manages to slightly thaw Orochimaru's heart and causes him be able to trust again (though only Naruto). _

_Orochimaru has not given up his goals, however. He still seeks to destroy Konoha (now because of their treatment of both him and Naruto) and he still seeks the Sharingan. He still is not particularly concerned with the lines he has to cross to achieve said goals._

_Naruto, on the other hand, is certainly more reserved than in canon. He never had to become a delinquent to seek attention, so he is much more reserved. He had people to actually teach him from an early age, so he knows more than he did in canon. He still has a heart that is too big for his own good, but he is aware that it can be used against him, and tries to better protect it._

_As I mentioned, I am very interested in hearing how I am doing in portraying the above notions. I realize that Orochimaru hasn't had much screen time thus far, but please give your thoughts on Naruto's portrayal._

_Thanks!!_

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"They talk of a man betraying his country, his friends, his sweetheart. There must be a moral bond first. All a man can betray is his conscience."

~ Joseph Conrad (1857–1924)

Razumov, in Under Western Eyes, Part 1, Chapter 2 (1911)

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Naruto sat at the kitchen table of the small one-bedroom house that the Hokage had given him. The building wasn't much; a single-level home in a less-than-savory neighborhood that had stood empty since the previous owner had died. It would due, however. Naruto could see to most of the repairs that were required himself, and the Hokage had promised to take care of those he couldn't. The neighborhood didn't bother Naruto; it was actually a nicer part of the village than where he had stayed before. And as it was a stand-alone building that had been owned by the village itself, and thus technically the Hokage, Naruto didn't have any irritating landlords to deal with and try not to kill in their sleep when they raised his rent for the fifth time in a month.

Yes, overall Naruto was pleasantly surprised by the building. In the month that he had been in Konoha, he had managed to clean up and repaint the living room and the bedroom. A genin-team the Hokage had sent had taken care of the roof, kitchen and bathroom. Next on Naruto's list was replacing the four broken windows that were currently covered with plywood, but there was no real rush.

As he sat at the table, slowly eating dinner, he pondered his time so far in the village, organizing his thoughts to better write the report that was due to his Father, to be delivered by one of his Father's spies in the village.

On the day he had arrived, after his meeting with the Hokage, he had been escorted to the appropriate classroom at the Academy and been briefly introduced by his Anbu guide to the Sensei, a man named Umino Iruka. After that he had been encouraged to stand in front of the class and tell them a little about himself. As if.

He had given his name before moving to an empty seat near the back of the room, not waiting for permission.

Ever since he had been suffering through the tedious days, bored to near tears as the students were taught things he had learned years earlier.

He had to admit, however, hearing the history of Konohagakure from a perspective other than his Father's had been interesting.

Absently he had made a list on the paper off to the side of his plate of the clans that were present in his class, knowing that his Father would be quite interested in that information.

As planned, the old man had decided to place him with children his own age, so the lone loyal survivor of the Uchiha clan and he shared a class. For the last month he had surreptitiously studied his Father's target. He had to admit, the boy had promise. He obviously had a much higher store of chakra than the rest of the students, not that that was saying much. He also moved with a practiced grace, his movements infused with confidence. Here was at least one student who took his training seriously.

Overall Naruto had been incredibly disappointed with the so-called genin hopefuls he was stuck with in class. With very few exceptions, most of the students were next to worthless. They had very little chakra and their movements were embarrassingly clumsy. Such incompetents would never have even been allowed in the academy back in Oto, to say nothing about being given the opportunity to become genin.

And then there was the class sensei. Naruto honestly didn't know what to make of the man. From Naruto's first day, he had actually treated him fairly, which was something Naruto hadn't really experienced before with anyone from the older generations. At best he had been ignored, but Umino genuinely seemed to take an interest in making sure that Naruto was not having troubles with his studies and whether he was getting along with his classmates. It was more than a little unnerving.

Naruto had been prepared to hate each and every citizen of this village: the elder generations for the hatred and abuse and the younger for their ignorance and taunts. He was finding his plan easier in theory than in practice, however. How was he supposed to hate indiscriminately when there were irritating deviants like Genma and Iruka who actually treated him like a person rather than a monster?

Naruto sighed. He knew what his Father would tell him. He was letting his heart have too much influence over himself again. It was perhaps his biggest weakness. Ironically, it was also his most powerful asset.

His kind, caring nature drew allies to him and empowered him to strive beyond his limits when fighting for his precious people. It also caused him to make himself vulnerable when and to those he shouldn't, just because he had a hard time, even now after all he had suffered, assuming the worst of people.

Kimi-nii told him that that was one of the things that made him so precious, and had forbid him from changing. Naruto hadn't been sure what to make of that, but when Kin-chan had agreed, he decided it wasn't worth arguing over. Besides, it had warmed him inside when they had promised to protect his heart themselves, so he wouldn't have to worry about it. In this one thing, he found himself unable to do as his Father had bid.

That did not mean he wanted to care for any of these damn Konohans, though. Where had all this 'caring' been when he had needed it, back when he was stuck in this hellhole with no one to protect him from the jeers and attacks that had tormented his early childhood? They certainly hadn't given a damn about him back then!

No, there was no one here worth saving, worth caring for. He would harden his heart; he would hate and betray them all because his Father asked it of him. Because his Father, his Savior, was his most precious person and he **would not **fail him.

"I'm sorry, Kimi-nii," Naruto sadly spoke to the empty room, "but I won't be able to keep my promise after all."

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Iruka sighed as he watched his class leave for the day. Naruto trailed behind as always, not talking to any of the other children. From what Iruka could tell, Naruto hadn't even tried to make any friends since he had returned to Konoha.

Oh, he was incredibly polite, if cold, when addressed, but he never sought to make any bonds. Not that Iruka could blame him. He winced as he thought on the childhood Naruto had suffered while he had lived in Konoha. That he himself, in a way, shared the blame for that childhood was Iruka's most shamed secret.

He tried to justify his actions. He had only been just beyond childhood himself and had watched his parents die before his eyes. He hadn't actually participated in the beatings or tormenting. What could he have done, he would have been only one young teenager against an entire village.

None of his excuses succeeded in satisfying his guilty conscious, however. The truth was that at first, he had relished watching the child suffer. That monster had been responsible for him losing his parents. He deserved to be punished, to be hurt, to bleed. He had watched as the demon was beaten, gaining satisfaction in seeing his parents' deaths avenged.

As time had passed, however, he began to realize that the boy that the Village was tormenting could not possibly be the monster that had killed his parents. He had no chakra suppressors, no seals from what Iruka could tell, nothing to control him and yet no matter how badly he was tortured or taunted, he never fought back as a true demon would have; he never sought revenge. He only cried silent tears as empty, dead eyes stared out at his attackers.

Those eyes still haunted Iruka's darkest nightmares.

Eventually he had gone to the Hokage and demanded the truth. Upon learning that the one that had been treated so terribly was truly just an innocent child, sacrificed for the good of the Village, he had been appalled. He had angrily demanded of the Hokage how he could let the boy be treated so badly, only to be given excuses about the Council and faceless 'enemies' and things that 'a boy like him was not ready to understand.'

Disgusted, he had stormed out of the Sandaime's office, determined to help Naruto the next time he was in need.

Only to fail when faced with the hatred, the sheer killing intent that was focused on the poor child while he was beaten. Iruka hadn't noticed before. When he had been so certain that the boy was the monster, when he had **wanted** to see him suffer, his own hatred had joined with the rest unnoticed. Now that he planned on defying that hatred, he found his feet stuck to the ground and his voice frozen in his throat. Time and again he tried to gather enough courage to speak up, and time and again he failed.

Until one day there were no more beatings to try to stop, because Naruto had disappeared, leaving him with a debt that he would no longer have the opportunity to pay.

And now, against all hope, Naruto had returned. Iruka had been shocked to hear of the details from Genma when he had overheard him telling the story in a local restaurant. He had been beyond pleased when Naruto had been placed in his class. Here was his chance to finally make things right, to make up for the failures of his past.

He would help Naruto, befriend him, and make his transition back into the Village as easy as possible. He had had so many plans, but none of them had succeeded. He had approached Naruto, and had been politely but firmly told that he did not think it would be appropriate for them to have any contact beyond that in the classroom.

Naruto had all the correct excuses; he did not want Iruka to be blamed for favoritism, he was worried that when the Village realized who he was Iruka would get ostracized or worse for befriending the demon, but Iruka could see the truth in Naruto's eyes. Eyes that were no longer dead, but when looking at him were so very cold. Naruto had no desire to befriend Iruka, or anyone else from Konoha.

Iruka had eventually learned of Naruto's deal with the Hokage. Frankly, he couldn't believe the Sandaime was so blind. The people of Konoha had not changed at all. Once word got out as to whom Naruto was, and Iruka was sure it was only a matter of time, the boy would go back to being hated and ridiculed and, possibly, even beaten. Then, in six months, Naruto would leave and nothing would have changed.

Well, there would be **one** change. Iruka was a child no longer. He had seen battle; he had killed and watched as his comrades were killed and he was helpless to prevent it. He had faced far worse things than the anger and hatred of idiotic civilians without backing down.

This time, he vowed, Naruto would not be fighting his battles alone.

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_**End Chapter**_


	5. Chile

Hey All – sorry for the fake chapter, but this seemed like the best way to contact the most people.

I've got my services up for bid over at the Help_Chile liverjournal community.

One story, at least 2500 words. You pick the fandom, general plot and (if applicable) pairing. Bidding starts at $5.

Please see my homepage (link above) for more details and links to the auction and community.

I'd also like to take this time to assure you that no, I have not abandoned this story. Real life has been a you-know-what of late, but progress is still being made (slowly).


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